Well hello my long-lost friends!!
I can’t stand that it’s been so long since my last post!! To be perfectly honest though, I needed to take a break. The past month, all of my free time has been consumed by the typical holiday madness, a much-needed trip to see my family, doctors appointments, an unexpected surgery (with another one in just a few days), and getting back into my regular routine. As I finally (and stubbornly) came to realize about a month ago, I had been burning the candle at both ends and my body was begging me to slow down and relax. A small hiatus was a must.
Now that it’s a brand new year and I’ve had time to reflect and to make plans for the future, I’m even more encouraged than ever before to put my family and my health first. I’ve always considered eating nutritious foods an important aspect of healing and of taking care of my overall health. In truth, we’re all healing all the time–our bodies are constantly working to repair themselves from everyday stressors, whether they be from work, lack of sleep, weather, etc. Instead of adding more stress on our already-hard-at-work bodies by eating unhealthy foods, we should treat our beautiful bodies to the nourishment they need! Sounds simple, right?! But why is it sometimes so hard to stick to? Yes, we all want and need to splurge sometimes, but it can turn into a vicious cycle if we aren’t constantly aware of what we’re doing and what our goals are. (Picture me over Christmas break eating cookies and brownies–and not the healthy kind–for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks).
My goal (I don’t want to say it’s a resolution because those are often too quickly forgotten) is to rededicate myself to making and sharing simple and nutritious foods. I believe that healthy eating can be so easy and is certainly always worthwhile! On that note, I’m excited to share this simple, versatile, and tasty Vegan Sweet Potato Bisque. This soup came together in less than 45 minutes and with minimal effort! Better yet, you can change up the spices and toppings depending on what you’re craving! The one pictured below was a spicy Spanish-inspired version, while the one pictured below the recipe was a sweeter version. It’s always nice to have options 
- 1 Tbs. coconut oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
- ½ tsp sea salt
- pepper, to taste
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into approx. 1-inch cubes
- 3 – 3½ cups veggie broth
- 1 cup almond milk
- Additional seasoning options: for a spicy version, add ½ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. paprika, and cayenne pepper; for a sweet version, add ½ tsp. cinnamon and 1-2 Tbs. maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- Toppings: For the spicy version, I like to top the soup with diced tomato, avocado, and cilantro; for the sweet version, I like to add chopped walnuts or pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions and stir well (you may have to lower the heat a bit to prevent burning). Next, add the garlic and ginger and continue to stir. Season with salt and pepper. *At this point, you could also add any additional spices you may desire, or you could leave them out altogether and add spices to each individual bowl if you really want to mix it up. Finally, add the sweet potato and stir well. Allow to cook for approx. 5 minutes, stirring often.
- When the sweet potatoes have softened a bit, add enough veggie broth to cover the sweet potatoes, stir well, and turn the heat up. When the broth begins to slowly boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Allow to cook for approx. 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have softened.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooked through, blend all the ingredients together using an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender (you may have to do this in smaller batches depending on your blender capacity). If using a regular blender, return the soup to the original sauce pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the almond milk, and stir well.
- Serve alone or with toppings of your choice.
- Enjoy!
Original article: Vegan Sweet Potato Bisque
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Original article: Vegan Sweet Potato Bisque.
